FASEG UNIVERSITY

Construction of a university center

Concept

The new university will be constructed on the site of a former British American Tobacco factory in Ouidah, 40km from Cotonou, the capital of Benin. Today the site is disused, but several existing buildings will be converted and extended upwards to make them suitable for new uses.

Program

The refurbished buildings will accommodate:

– a teaching unity for students

– a teacher-training unity

– a post-graduate/doctorate unity

– an administrative unity

– a research unity

The following areas will be included in the overall programme:

– 4 lecture halls with 1000 seats,

– 4 lecture halls with 500 seats,

– 1 library of 4 000 m²,

– 1 food court

– 1 infirmary

The external areas between the existing buildings and the prismatic volumes of the new constructions, is designed as a green lung offering shady spaces at the heart of the site for working or relaxing. Generously planted with trees, this garden will create a green backdrop to the views from the classrooms.

The project, including new and existing buildings, meets the criteria for HQE (high environmental quality) with natural lighting and ventilation, except for the amphitheatres which have specific acoustic requirements. The existing buildings, in addition to being adapted for modern environmental standards, are extended upwards with glazing at clerestory height. An ‘origami’ folded roof completes the design, responding to the need for natural ventilation as well as giving a thoroughly contemporary image to the rehabilitation project. The new buildings have green roofs.